A 21-year-old man has been charged with striking a Columbus police officer in the face with a pair of handcuffs as he was being taken into custody.
Officers pulled over Jimmie Jermaine Roby, who lives on the 800 block of 13th Street North, during a routine traffic stop at the intersection of Sixth Street North and Eighth Avenue about 15 minutes after midnight.
Officers tried to take Roby into custody after they found he had an outstanding warrant for grand larceny and no driver”s license.
They had handcuffed one of the Roby”s wrists when he pushed officers, broke free and fled on foot into a wooded area nearby, said police spokeswoman Terrie Songer.
During his escape, the loose handcuff hit the officer, cutting him slightly on the face. The officer was taken in non-critical condition to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle where he was treated and released without stitches.
Roby was apprehended near the woods a short time later by a K-9 officer and his partner, Rex.
The defendant was treated for minor cuts at the hospital before he was taken to the Lowndes County Adult Detention Center.
During a search, officers also found a bag of cocaine, Songer said. Roby faces felony charges of simple assault of a police officer and possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor charges of careless driving, no driver”s license, failure to obey a police officer and resisting arrest.
His court date has not been set.
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